


Monstrous Reflections

by emmypuff



Category: Tales of Arcadia, Trollhunters
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-11-01 10:18:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17865443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmypuff/pseuds/emmypuff
Summary: Jim has his troll and human halves separated and must accept both to become whole again. Inspired by mintypupcake's drawing on Instagram.





	1. Chapter 1

Crystal lights illuminate the cavern as Merlin sprinkles an unknown ingredient into the cauldron. “Every time, I trust you to make the right decision, you do this. Every single time.” Jim fangs knaw away at the muzzle strapped to his jaw. Merlin rolls his eyes and rips it off. Jim gasps, able to properly breathe again. His remaining bindings rattle as he’s yanked to his feet. “I only want what’s best for you.” 

Claire’s eyes flutter open and she shakes her head. She glances over at Toby and kicks him into consciousness. “What was that for?” He mumbles, rolling over. “Oh my gosh!” He yelps upon seeing Claire in chains. “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” The panic increases as he realizes he too is chained up. 

“Oh good. You’re awake.” The old wizard grumbles and leads Jim by the chains to a rune carved onto the stone floor. 

“Leave him alone!” Toby cries and tries to wriggle free. 

“Toby don’t!” Claire begs, immediately recognizing the markings on his bounds. “They’re enchanted. Struggling will make them burn you.” 

“Please, just let them go. They didn’t do anything.” Merlin ignores the trollhunter’s pleas. He drops the metal leash and without a second thought, Jim lunges. He’s thrown back by an invisible wall around the perimeter of the rune. “Oh, come on!” He rams his body into the wall again. And again. 

“Would you stop that? You’re going to dislocate something and I’ll have that nonsense to deal with.” Jim leans against the wall and sighs. His ears perk at the metallic ringing radiating from his chest. The amulet’s glow dulls and the armor dissipates. Before Jim can catch it, the amulet rolls out of the rune. “Ah, here we go.” The wizard picks it up and tosses it in the cauldron. 

“What the heck, man!” He pauses.“ Listen, I promise I won’t fight you anymore, I just want answers.” 

“I wish I could believe you, James. Merlin’s iris’s glow a vibrant red as his sclera fade into black. He lifts the staff and points it at Jim.“ Immanis cogitationes mean Arma Lucis.” The emerald releases a small orb of light. It floats in the air for a moment before entering the hall-trolls chest where the amulet should be.

A bloodcurdling roar fills the cavern, causing even the spell caster to slam his hands over his ears. Blue light flashes from Jim’s trollish markings. The light spreads across his body as it morphs. His arms and legs shorten, his horns retract into his skull, his fur sheds to reveal the pink skin underneath. His roar fades to a child's screams. The orb leaves his chest and Jim collapses to the ground. 

“No no no!” Claire cries, seeing Jim limp on the floor. She gathers her wits and takes a deep breath. “Ad lunam quaeruntur mea comand!” The amethyst around her neck glows and purple fire climbs up arms. The chains explode into metal shards. She quickly blasts Toby free and they sprint to check on their friend. 

The invisible wall falls as Claire blasts a crack into the floor, splitting the rune. “Come on, Jimbo. Wake up.” Toby pulls the boy into his lap and brushes the raven hair from his forehead. “You’re okay. You’re okay.” 

“He’s not breathing.” 

“Okay, okay, okay. I’ve got this.” Toby lays the trollhunter back onto the ground and sits on his knees. He balls his fist and rhythmically pushes into the boy's chest. He breathes air into the lungs and continues trying to keep his heart pumping. He winces as one of Jim’s ribs cracks. “Come on. Come on.” 

A cough erupts from Jim’s throat and blood drains from his nostrils. His eyes are a sickly gray and his skin soaked with sweat, but he’s alive. He’s promptly dragged into a group hug of tears and relief. “Ow!” He yelps and clutches his broken rib. 

“Good thing your mom’s a doctor, huh?” Toby forces an apologetic smile. But Jim doesn’t hear him as he examines his now five-fingered hand.  
“You may want to stand back.” Merlin blows out the fire under the cauldron.“Evigilare faciatis.”

Claire helps her boyfriend to his feet. “We’ve gotta get out of here.” 

“W-what did you do?” Jim stumbles forward. His friends catch him. “You said-!” He falls silent as a figure emerges from the cauldron, wearing his amulet. 

Broad shoulders sprout long clawed arms. Followed by powerful legs and a lion-like tail extending from the spine. Curved horns erupt from the forms skull. The amulet embedded in its chest coats it’s stony skin with the Eclipse armor. Slit red eyes gleam from beneath the creatures bangs. 

“Ah, it’s like looking in a mirror isn’t it.” Merlin chuckles and strokes his beard. The children’s complexions drain into a ghostly white. “Oh, he won’t hurt you.” He pats the creature on the arm. “Would you, James?” It’s tail twitches. “Come now, I know you can talk.” 

“Oh my god.” Claire drags Jim back away from the creature. We have to go, now.”


	2. Chapter 2

Footsteps echo through the caves. Two leave the ground as Toby and Claire realize their friend is losing pace. “Faster, Toby! That thing might already be done with him!” Jim clings to Toby’s shoulders, barely holding his eyelids up.

Blood pools around the wizard's finally limp body. The creature unlocks his jaws and pulls back up on its hide legs. It spits on the corpse and sniffs the air. Its ears twitch as they pick up faint echos through the cavern. It gives chase.

The crystal illuminations dull as they grow closer and closer to the surface. Claire raises her hand. _“Ignis!_ ” Purple fire collapses the stone ceiling behind them. The creature yelps as a stone crushes it’s tail, pinning it down. It snarls and begins to dig.

Sunlight pours through the flood grate. “We’re almost there, Jimbo!” Heavy footprints shake the ground. It’s free.

“Just a little further!” Claire blasts a hole in the bars. Claws swipe at their ankle as they dive through into the grass outside. The creature cries in pain as the sun hit’s its knarled face.

Its human half collapses to the ground as his rescuers embrace each other in a celebratory hug.  He rolls onto his back and takes a deep breath. After such longing to feel the sun on his skin again, this is incredibly... _underwhelming_. Everything is incredibly underwhelming. The bird's songs are nothing more than distant whispers. The flora’s aroma is stale and burns his nostrils. The bright blue sky is saturated in a gray haze. This isn’t right. None of this is right. None of it.

“I can’t believe you’re really back!” Toby plops on the ground and gently punches his friend in the arm. “We were starting to miss you, man!”

“I never went anywhere.” Jim jumps slightly as Claire lays down and takes his hand in hers. His five-fingers intertwine with hers. This isn’t right.

“I mean, like, you’re you again. You’re human again. Isn’t this what you wanted for like ever?”  Jim nods slightly and runs his hands over his now smooth skull. This isn’t right. “We should go get tacos or something. Oh! Or ice cream! I know how much you missed ice cream!”

“Well, we’ve gotta deal with that thing first.” Claire points back at the troll pacing on the other side of the grate.

This isn't right. None of this is right. It snorts and snarls. He’s right there. Right there. Right there. The creature rams its horns into the wall and sobs. Its ears droop and eyes soften from their slit form.

“We can’t kill it. Can we?” Toby considers. “But then again. that’s the thing that made Jim miserable for years. Wait, Jim?”

“Jim!” Claire cries as her boyfriend approaches the grate.

This isn’t right.

This isn’t right.

_This isn’t right._

He stares into the creature's eyes. However blood red he knows they’re his. Those horns are his. Those fangs are his too. This thing is him. The creature's tail rhythmically thumps the ground. Its eyes dilate and a soft purr escapes its throat. “You’re not so bad. Are you?” Jim reaches his hand into the shadows and strokes the creature's mane.

“ **Us not so bad**.”

Merlin was right. It can talk. _He_ can talk. “Heh.” The boy chuckles. “You kinda sound like Arrgh.”

“It talks.” Claire smacks her friend's arm. “It _talks_ , Toby!” Wait a minute. She looks down at her hands. “I can help.”

“Help?”

_“_ _Procellas umbra venit ad me.”_ Black webs spread across her hands, rather than her normal purple glow. Clouds gather from every direction and swirl over their heads.

“Are you making a tornado! What the heck, Claire!”

“ _Ad me_.” The witch hisses. The clouds sink to the earth and swirl around the trollhunter. Or trollhunters. “Her eyes open to reveal her violet irises. “He can come out now.”

She leans on Toby for support.  The human Jim nods and takes the creatures clawed paw, leading him into the fresh air. “

The two press their foreheads together. A high pitched squeal and bellowing belly laugh escape their throat as a blue light consumes both figures. The light levitates into the air and explodes, scattering the clouds. The light fades and Jim falls back to the earth. Half human. Half troll. This feels right. This is right.

Claire releases her hold on the clouds. Her eyes return to their chocolate brown but the black spiderwebs remain etched in her skin. Her legs shake and she falls into Jim’s outstretched arms. “There you are.” She weakly smiles and cups his cheek. They press their noses together and giggle.

“Alright, alright you to don’t leave the Tobes out!” The shorter boy wraps his arms around them. All three erupt into happy sobs.

This. This is right.


End file.
